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The movement for the conservation… — Theodore Roosevelt

Posted on March 31, 2008 | Filed Under Quotes

Lindsay Martin, Web Editor
River Quotes: Your Daily Escape

“The movement for the conservation of wildlife and the larger movement for the conservation of all our natural resources are essentially democratic in spirit, purpose and method.” — Theodore Roosevelt

*Register now to participate in this year’s River Action Day on June 17th-18th! River Action Day brings concerned river advocates to Capitol Hill to speak up for healthy rivers. More

River Quotes are posted weekday mornings. Want to see your favorite river quote here? Email it to lmartin@AmericanRivers.org.

Blog Round Up March 21st - March 28th

Posted on March 28, 2008 | Filed Under Weekly Round Up

Chas Offutt, Director of Internet Strategy
Technology & Rivers

I have said here before that innovation is a great thing. Today Treehugger has a post about a great knew boat that is solar and pedal powered. Now you can get exercise while enjoying being out on the water.

The river round up for 3-21 to 3-28:

Clean water is important. Gristmill has video of a new invention that delivers clean water.

While you are on the Gristmill, why don’t you learn about a great river movie?

Many, many ways to conserve water around the home, by DIY Life.

Rain barrels are finding their way in to Massachusetts according to Michaelann Land.

If a man fails to honor… — The Code of Hammurabi

Posted on March 28, 2008 | Filed Under Quotes

Lindsay Martin, Web Editor
River Quotes: Your Daily Escape

“If a man fails to honor the rivers, he shall not gain the life from them.�? — The Code of Hammurabi

*A great way to honor a river is to establish a blue trail. More

River Quotes are posted weekday mornings. Want to see your favorite river quote here? Email it to lmartin@AmericanRivers.org.

Are Rain Barrels needed in the Great Lakes?

Posted on March 27, 2008 | Filed Under Great Lakes, Healthy Waters, Rain Gardens

Katie Swartz, Conservation Associate
Healthy Waters Campaign, Great Lakes Region

It is no surprise that the Great Lakes have been hit pretty hard with rain and snow the past few months. The rivers are rising so quickly that flood watches and warnings are a part of everyday life (scary!).

So, why would people in the Great Lakes be interested in conserving water when we seem to have such abundance?

Part of the allure of living in this region is being able to enjoy all four seasons, which means it still gets very hot and dry during the summer months. Gardeners search for ways to keep their plants looking healthy without putting a strain on their wallet. Rain barrels are an affordable and easy way to temporarily store water to reuse later.

So, where do I find one? Good question.

This Saturday, March 29th rain barrels will be distributed to those who pre-ordered at the Erie Street Market in downtown Toledo from 9am until noon. There will be a few extra for purchase, so come early! The barrels are 55 - 60 gallons, blue, and outfitted with all the necessary gadgets and gizmos. Go to New England Rain Barrel Company for more information.

Thanks to everyone who helped advertise this opportunity! Including Man With The Muck-Rake.

If you are outside the Toledo area, look to watershed groups and soil and water conservation districts for information and advice on where to purchase barrels and how to make them yourself.

Estuaries are happy land… — Stanley A. Cain

Posted on March 27, 2008 | Filed Under Quotes

Lindsay Martin, Web Editor
River Quotes: Your Daily Escape

“Estuaries are happy land, rich in the continent itself, stirred by the forces of nature like the soup of a French chef; home of myriad forms of life from bacteria an protozoans to grasses and mammals; the nursery, resting place, and refuge of countless things.” — Stanley A. Cain

* Do you know the definition of an estuary? Our River Glossary is the first wiki dedicated to river conservation. More

River Quotes are posted weekday mornings. Want to see your favorite river quote here? Email it to lmartin@AmericanRivers.org.

The Things I Learn from Watching the Colbert Report

Posted on March 26, 2008 | Filed Under Events, Technology

Chas Offutt, Director of Internet Strategy
Technology & Rivers

One of the cooler aspects of living in Washington, DC, is definitely the museums.

I suspect there is not a person in town who feels otherwise. From the 19 Smithsonian museums to the International Spy Museum to the obscure lobsterdom monument, our nation’s capital has it all.

So, having said all that, I’m sure you can only imagine my guilt for not actually taking better advantage of DC’s historical attractions (and most are free too). Yes, it’s a shame, and a known deficiency that I’m working on.

Well, to add insult to injury, I learned last night - from the Colbert Report of all places - that our very own American Museum of Natural History was showcasing an exhibit called “Water: H2O = Life“. Grant it, I can be pretty slow on the uptake, but how did I miss this one (fist in air: darn you City Paper!)?

I know, I must go…and I will, but has anyone already been? Well, if you haven’t and are in town visiting or just live here and need an afternoon out, please let me know.

Btw, this was the second time in recent months that Stephen Colbert was town. If you haven’t seen the National Portrait Gallery’s video on the Colbert portrait hanging in the museum you’re missing out.

May the countryside… — Virgil

Posted on March 26, 2008 | Filed Under Quotes

Lindsay Martin, Web Editor
River Quotes: Your Daily Escape

“May the countryside and the gliding valley streams content me. Lost to fame, let me love river and woodland.” — Virgil

*The joy of rivers drives David Moryc to help protect them. More

River Quotes are posted weekday mornings. Want to see your favorite river quote here? Email it to lmartin@AmericanRivers.org.

The time has also come… — President Lyndon Baines Johnson

Posted on March 25, 2008 | Filed Under Quotes

Lindsay Martin, Web Editor
River Quotes: Your Daily Escape

“The time has also come to identify and preserve free-flowing stretches of our great rivers before growth and development make the beauty of the unspoiled waterway a memory.” — President Lyndon Baines Johnson

*America’s remaining free-flowing rivers provide a genuine connection to our natural and national heritage. More

River Quotes are posted weekday mornings. Want to see your favorite river quote here? Email it to lmartin@AmericanRivers.org.

I’m a Self-Interested Conservationist at Heart

Posted on March 24, 2008 | Filed Under River Heritage, Wild and Scenic

David Moryc, Director
River Heritage Campaign, Go Wild!

I admit it. I’m a self-interested conservationist. My love of fishing, whitewater boating and simply put, enjoying the joy brought by rivers. My desire to learn about everything from the life cycles of fish and wildlife, how, when and why aquatic bugs hatch, and the power of a river at flood stage to both destroy and create are all expressions of my self-interest.

I admit it. This self-interest led me down a path to want to passionately protect rivers. Sometimes it’s alright to do the right thing for the wrong reason. After eight years on this path for American Rivers in the Pacific Northwest, I was recently asked to take over as Director of our Go Wild! Initiative, which not only has the pithiest campaign name at American Rivers but strives to protect our most outstanding rivers nationwide.

We use tools like the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and the Clean Water Act. I feel privileged to take over this initiative because it is at the core of why American Rivers was founded 35 years ago this week, to take a stand and say some rivers are just too valuable and too beautiful to destroy.

We’ve come a long way in the past four decades, major obsolete dams are being removed such as Marmot Dam (watch the YouTube below) in Oregon and Milltown in Montana (Denver Post article), but unfortunately there is a wave of new threats to our best rivers nationwide.

New dams are on the drawing board (Divide Develops Over Dam). Logging proposals in our most cherished watersheds are in the pipeline (learn more: Save the Wild Rogue). Once again we need to stand up and say some rivers are just too valuable and beautiful to destroy.

A Spoonful of Medicine Makes the Water Go Down - part 2

Posted on March 24, 2008 | Filed Under Clean Water, Healthy Waters, Sewage

Katherine Baer, Director
Healthy Waters Campaign

A couple days back, we highlighted the alarming report from the AP that found pharmaceutical compounds in the drinking water of 40 million Americans. Although a Seattle comedian calls it “a clever way to tap into the drug supply,” it’s enough to get you worried. Given the increased reliance on medications, sewage treatment inadequate to remove these compounds, and improper drug disposal, our streams and rivers are going to continue to be a drug soup for a while.

So, what are some of the solutions? Here are two to start:

Make the Environmental Protection Agency complete their requirement to screen these compounds for their effects on humans - According to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), EPA has missed numerous deadlines to test for endocrine disrupting compounds as required by federal law since 1996. Drinking water suppliers should be testing for the compounds - the AP report revealed that only some are doing so.

Improve drug disposal - 54% of Americans throw unused drugs in the trash where they can leach into groundwater supplies from landfills. Another 35% of Americans and many medical facilities flush unused drugs down the toilet and directly into local waterways. Drug take back programs at pharmacies collect unused drugs and dispose of them safely, usually through incineration. While these programs can’t eliminate pharmaceutical compounds excreted by humans, it is the easiest and most cost-effective way to begin tackling the problem. The Teleosis Institute has created safe disposal sites in California and others are starting as well.

What are your recommendations?

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